What the Tide Brings

Chapter 29 - Liam - Fade Away

After finding Kaelin's room empty, Liam got dressed and started down the stairs in search of her. There was a frantic knock on the front door as he neared the bottom. He was about to pick up the pace, but his brother appeared, in nothing more than boxer briefs, his black hair as messy as Liam's surely was at the moment.

Liam rubbed his eyes, a yawn on his lips, wondering who it was, and what was so urgent.

Andy opened the door and leaned against it. "Hey, Gretchen." If his attire weren't clue enough that he had just woken up, the thickness of his voice gave it away. "Have you always been so hot?"

From beyond the door, Liam heard Gretchen groan. Having known Andy most of her life, she was immune to his charms. "Get out of the way, Andy." She barged into the house, her face set with determination. Her eyes lit up when she spotted Liam at the foot of the staircase. "We need to talk."

Gretchen walked over and pushed on Liam's shoulders to turn him around. "Go!" she insisted. He could hear her on the steps right behind him as he ascended back to the second floor. She placed a hand on his back and nudged him forward. "Your room. This is private."

"What's going on?" he asked, confused.

Once they were hidden away in his bedroom, she closed the door. He turned in time to see her flip the lock.

"Gretchen?"

She flipped her braided hair over her shoulder, turning to him. "I think Kaelin might be in danger."

Those words made his heart sink into his stomach. He thought he might vomit. He grabbed the post on the footboard, to steady himself enough to speak. "Wha... What are you saying? What happened?"

"She was looking for her sister." Gretchen said. "I told her where to find the mermen. Which I think was the wrong thing."

"Find the what now?" He was truly and thoroughly shocked. He wondered how Gretchen knew about mermen. There was an obvious answer: Kaelin told her.

He was proven correct by her next statement. "I know you know. Now, I know, too. She told me everything."

But why?

Gretchen smiled and stepped closer, forgetting her task for a moment to gush. "She's amazing. I don't blame you for falling in love with her. I'm kinda in love with her a little bit."

"Gretchen," Liam snapped at her, grabbing her shoulders, giving her a little shake, to regain her focus. "What happened?"

"She told me to leave... I-I couldn't." Gretchen shook her head slowly and thoughtfully. "I passed one of the guys she was looking for on the dock. I saw him go into the boathouse she was in. I snuck up and watched through the window by the door. I was ready to charge in there if I had to.

"Then, she created fog—just out of nowhere!—" Gretchen threw her hands up and made an exploding motion "—it distracted him long enough for her to jump into the water. I ran around and saw her change. She swam away, but he followed. So I came here. I figured you were the best bet to figure out where she'd go."

"I have no—" He stopped speaking when he saw the water in the glass on his night stand was shivering. It was as if they were in the midst of an earthquake, except the water was the only thing moving.

Liam went over and touched the surface. A sudden recollection of the night he and Kaelin danced in the waves flashed in his mind. He looked to the window, curious about the memory that just popped into his mind. He hurdled over his bed and rushed to the window. He pulled the cord on the shade, nearly yanking the whole thing off the wall. He scanned the shore, but there was no sign of her.

"What's going on?"

"She's calling me." Liam said, moving past Gretchen to unlock the door.

"Calling how?" Gretchen asked, following him down the stairs.

Liam ignored her questions, of which there were many, and ran through the kitchen, and out the back door. The sand was already hot beneath his bare feet, despite it still being early. The beach was relatively empty, so he knew she hadn't emerged yet.

"Is that her?" Gretchen asked. Liam didn't know she had followed him out until she spoke up. "Over there."

Liam looked to where she pointed. A platinum-haired, alabaster figure rose out of the water, stumbling forward as the waves crashed against her back, trying to force her down.

Liam ran at top speed toward Kaelin, kicking up sand in his wake, worried that she may get pulled under and drown again.

Suddenly, another figure emerged from the surf, his blue blood pouring down his muscled bronze skin, from a large gash in his right shoulder. The giant muscleman surged forward, unconcerned with his blood loss.

Kaelin spun around and fell back into the water, facing him. She raised a hand against him and a geyser shot out from the waves to knock him backwards.

Liam hurried to grab Kaelin up in his arms, pulling her onto the shore. He collapsed on the sand with her on top of him. He could feel her exhaustion in her quivering limbs and quick breathing.

The blast had barely affected the merman. He charged from the water, stark naked, brandishing a humongous machete. He leapt through the air between them, aiming the blade at Kaelin.

The only thing on Liam's mind was to get to Kaelin. He wasn't even thinking of the consequences as pushed her to the side, onto the sand, where it was safe, taking the full force of the blow himself. The blade sliced into his belly, tearing skin and muscle. The intense, sharp pain made him want to scream out, but he was choked by a thick substance pushing up into his throat. He coughed to clear it away and a warm liquid fell from his mouth. He brushed his fingers against his mouth and they came away drenched with blood.

That can't be good, he thought.

The weight of his body became too much for his legs. His knees buckled and he collapsed onto the ground, falling back so that he was staring up at the beautiful blue sky.

"Liam!" The heartbreaking sound of Kaelin's desperate strangled cry was the last thing he heard before he everything faded away.